


No Good Without You

by edema_ruh



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Blood, Eventual Fluff, Fights, Guilt, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Knife Wounds, Knives, Love Confessions, Making Up, Protectiveness, Robbery, Robbery gone wrong, Stabbing, Violence, Worry, argument, stab wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6677443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edema_ruh/pseuds/edema_ruh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grantaire walks Enjolras home after they stay late in the Musain because of an argument, but the pair ends up coming across a robber on the way. Of course, Grantaire feels like he must protect Enjolras at all costs, which doesn't end up as well as you'd imagine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

As everyone knew, it was very common for meeting in the Musain to come to an end with a discussion between Enjolras and Grantaire. Which meant no one was particularly surprised when the pair began shouting at each other just two minutes after Grantaire interrupted Enjolras mid-speech. 

They were both standing up now, faces red as they argued passionately, voices rising with the emotion and the effort it took to yell. Being used to it, Jehan was the first one to get up from his place and grab his backpack. 

"I don’t know about you, but I've got an assignment to write, and the meeting is obviously over", he excused himself to his friends, who were watching the shouting pair with boredom. "See you guys tomorrow". 

Jehan's leave was the encouragement the other Amis needed to leave as well. Bahorel and Feuilly left right after the poet, being followed by an uncomfortable Marius and an unsure Courfeyrac. In the course of a few minutes, only Combeferre and Joly remained at the Musain with their screaming friends. 

"Should we intervene?", Joly asked nervously. 

"I don't think they would hear us", Combeferre sighed, despite moving to approach Enjolras. "Enjolras", he called, raising his voice slightly to be heard over Enjolras' loud arguments. "Come on, it's time to go home". 

"You're obviously too drunk to even be able to argue properly, so I don't know why you bother coming here on every meeting if the only thing you're going to do is disagree with every word I say!", Enjolras yelled, ignoring Combeferre completely. 

"Sorry if you're too naïve to see what's right in front of you and it leads me to trying to prevent you and my friends from getting yourselves killed!", Grantaire shouted back. 

"Naïve? You take me for a dumb child who doesn’t know what they're doing? I know exactly what's at stake here, Grantaire, because unlike you, I actually plan things in my life instead of wasting away blindly with addiction and, and indecency!", Enjolras unconsciously slapped away Combeferre's hand as he tried to get a hold of him. 

Grantaire threw his head back as he laughed loudly, hands resting on his hips. 

"You're just precious, Enjolras", he shook his head. "So you're telling me you're aware that you could lead all your friends to their grave and you're going to do it anyway for a revolution that is never going to happen? You really are a cold, heartless motherfucker". 

Enjolras looked hurt for a millisecond, and Combeferre lingered beside him, staring. He knew Grantaire had hit Enjolras' weak spot, but on the next moment, Enjolras had already stepped back to his cold façade. 

"I'm not obliging them to do anything they do not want", Enjolras said, coldly, voice low. "They know exactly what the risks are". 

"You're fooling them into believing something can be changed! You're manipulating them into believing that they can actually make a difference!" 

"You know what, I'm leaving", Combeferre announced, tired of trying to catch Enjolras' attention. "Are you coming with me or will you stay?" 

"You're always complaining about how harsh I am to you and how my words hurt your feelings but you don't hesitate to throw hurtful accusations at my face!" Enjolras ignored Combeferre again. "Do you actually believe I am made of marble? Do you really think I am incapable of feeling?" 

"Ok, I'll meet you back at the apartment", Combeferre said. "Let's go, Joly". 

Combeferre and Joly exited the Musain, leaving before Grantaire could reply. 

"Well, you certainly look like marble, just look at your face right now! If you're feeling stuff so strongly, why do you look like you just finished watching a documentary about whale reproduction?" 

"Because I cannot show you that I am weak! Don't you understand?" Enjolras let out a frustrated sigh. "You're always tearing my arguments down, mocking my insecurities and throwing my worst fears right on my face! If I ever let you see how I feel, how do I know you won't take advantage of that either?" 

Grantaire stared at him, mouth agape, looking horrified. That didn’t stop Enjolras. 

"I know I can be oblivious and stoic sometimes, do you think that doesn’t bother me? And do you think that your mockery doesn’t only confirm my self-doubts? You claim that I am heartless but you, Grantaire, are the heartless one". 

Enjolras didn’t know why he was telling Grantaire all that, opening up to him that way, but he was tired. He let himself fall against the nearest chair, leaning his elbows on his knees and bringing both hands up to massage his temples. He just wanted to go home and preferably never see Grantaire ever again. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Grantaire, he certainly did. He probably liked him _too much_ , if he was being honest. But having the cynic yell insults at him like this, in the middle of a meeting and in front of all his friends, was something Enjolras absolutely hated. It made his chest ache, knowing a person he cared about so much, thought so little of him. 

"I'm sorry", Grantaire whispered, and Enjolras' head shot up in surprise. Did Grantaire just apologize? 

Seeing Enjolras' confused look, Grantaire lowered his head, dark curls hiding his growing blush from Enjolras' view. He cleared his throat before continuing, obviously embarrassed. 

"Please, forgive me, Enjolras. I had no idea that my... comments had such effect on you. It's just...", Grantaire sighed, turning his head away from Enjolras' gaze and sinking into himself. "I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose any of you". 

Enjolras thought about responding that if Grantaire worked harder and tried to be more useful to the cause, they would have greater chances of succeeding, since the man was absolutely brilliant and talented when not drunk out of his mind. He opted for civility instead. 

"I am sorry, too", Enjolras said. "I know I can be unnecessarily rude to you, sometimes. And, whenever I mention your drinking, I mean no harm. I just don't want to lose you, too". 

Grantaire finally raised his head and looked Enjolras in the eyes, something akin to hope shining in his eyes. 

"You don’t?" He asked. 

"Of course not. You're my friend, and I care about you, despite... everything", Enjolras gestured to the empty space between them as if to make a point. 

Grantaire seemed uncertain at this, hesitation in his eyes. 

"I care about you, too", he finally said. 

"Truce?" Enjolras asked, the hint of a smile appearing on his face as he outstretched his hand towards Grantaire. 

"Truce", Grantaire smirked, taking Enjolras' hand and shaking it. He pretended it didn’t make his heart beat faster on his chest. 

"Oh, no", Enjolras shook his head, smiling. "I think I lost my ride. Combeferre will probably be very mad".  

"Don't worry", Grantaire said. "I can take you home, if that's ok".  

"You don't have a car", Enjolras frowned.  

"Yeah, but it's better to have company if you're going to walk all the way to your apartment building, don't you think?" 

Enjolras bit his lower lip, pensive. 

"It's ok with me, I just don't want to inconvenience you". 

Grantaire rolled his eyes at this, picking his jacket from the back of his chair. 

"You won't; I don't live that far away from you. Plus, consider this my formal apology for being a dick and hurting you". 

It was Enjolras turn to roll his eyes as he followed Grantaire out of the Musain. 

He tried to pretend he wasn't nervous about the whole situation - Grantaire's words still stung as they echoed on the back of his head, but mostly the reason why his heart was beating so rapidly inside his chest was because Grantaire was there, hand mere inches away from his own, and he was taking Enjolras home. 

The only person who knew about his crush on Grantaire was Combeferre. It took him a year to admit it to himself and another half year to finally tell his best friend about it. Enjolras had considered it to be amusement, then admiration, but only when he had a nasty discussion with Grantaire - which resulted on the man disappearing for two weeks - was when he realized it was more than a mere infatuation. 

He actually liked Grantaire. 

But how could he ever trust Grantaire with his heart if all the man did was mock him? He probably didn't even like Enjolras back. 

"So, what do you do on your free time?" Grantaire asked him, voice weird, clearly trying to start a conversation as they walked to Enjolras' home. 

"I usually read", Enjolras responded. Grantaire chuckled, sending a stab of indignation through Enjolras, who frowned. "What?" 

"Sorry. I should have figured out you use your free time to read", Grantaire replied. "But, like, don't you have any hobbies or something?" 

Enjolras bit his lower lip, thinking. 

"I like listening to music", Enjolras said. "And watching TV shows". 

He looked up at Grantaire, whose eyebrows had raised and disappeared beneath his thick curls. 

"That's... surprising", Grantaire commented. "What kind of music do you like, o mighty Apollo?" 

"Don't call me that", Enjolras immediately snapped. He then took a deep breath, focusing on the man's question. "I enjoy all types of metal, if I'm being honest, but my favorite is deathmetal, I believe". 

Grantaire was staring at him, mouth ajar and eyes wide. 

"What?", Enjolras asked again, clearly annoyed. 

"I...", Grantaire started, swallowing dry and trying to hide his amused smile. "Sorry. I just never thought you'd enjoy this kind of music. I always took you for a classic music guy". 

"Well, I suppose there's a lot about me that you don't know", Enjolras responded, sounding harsher than he had intended. Grantaire went quiet at this, as they kept walking. 

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude", Enjolras apologized after they walked silently for what felt like an eternity. They were nearly at his apartment now. 

"It's ok", Grantaire scoffed. Enjolras didn't know what else to say, so he kept his mouth shut. 

Why was it that, whenever it came to Grantaire, Enjolras was left at a loss of words? 

They both were so emerged in thought that neither of them noticed there was a man behind them until he grabbed Enjolras' shoulder and harshly turned him around. 

"Hey!", Enjolras protested, but stopped at the sight of the man pointing a gun at him. 

"Alright, pretty boy", the mugger said, smile showing his crooked teeth. "Empty your pockets, now. Ugly boy too". 

Grantaire grabbed Enjolras hand, subtly pulling the man and placing himself slightly in front of Enjolras. The robber's pupils were dilated and the hand holding the gun was shaking, just like his lower lip. He was clearly on something. 

"Alright man, take it easy", Grantaire said, raising his hands. "We don't want any trouble". 

"Then do as I said!", the robber barked, raising the gun and placing it against Grantaire's forehead. 

"Ok, ok!", Enjolras said, slowly reaching for his wallet and giving it to the robber. "We'll give it to you, ok? Just don't - just take it, ok?" 

"Phone too, pretty boy", the robber said, taking the wallet and shoving it on his back pocket. Enjolras took his phone and placed it on the man's outstretched palm. "Ok, now you, fuckface". 

"Thanks, man", Grantaire rolled his eyes, shoving his hand on his backpocket. He fished out his wallet and gave it to the man. 

"Phone", the man growled, pushing the barrel of the gun against Grantaire's head. 

"I don't have one. Not all of us can afford a phone, really", Grantaire said. The robber ticked his tongue. 

"I guess I'll have to take something else, then", he said, still pointing the gun at Grantaire. He then turned his gaze to look at Enjolras, who was standing nervously beside the cynic. Their hands were millimeters away from each other, and Enjolras wanted to grab Grantaire's hand and reassure him, but was too afraid to do so. 

The way the robber looked at Enjolras sent a shiver down Grantaire's spine. He recognized that look. And to see the way the man's yellowish teeth appeared beneath his grin was too much for him. 

Grantaire knew how to put up a fight. He took boxing classes, after all. 

Before the man could touch Enjolras with his disgusting hand, Grantaire took advantage of his distraction and pushed the hand pointing the gun at him away, immobilizing it. The gun went off, hitting a nearby lamppost, and Grantaire threw himself against the robber, sending them both to the floor. He ignored Enjolras' surprised cry of "Grantaire!" as he punched the robber on the face once, twice, until the man managed to dodge and finally fight back, hitting Grantaire on the neck. 

Enjolras wasted no time and ran to the scene, kicking the gun away from the robber's reach before he could grab a hold of it again. Grantaire regained his balance, throwing himself against the man once more before he could manage to get up and attack Enjolras.  

The man kicked Grantaire and stumbled to his feet, spitting blood on the floor. Grantaire got to his feet as well, cleaning the blood from his split lip with the back of his hand. Enjolras stood nervously on a safe distance, unsure whether he should run and get help or stay and help Grantaire himself. 

Grantaire groaned as the man punched him again, but managed to dodge the second punch and kick his aggressor on the ribs. The man stumbled back, but before he could recover Grantaire kicked him again. The man fell on his back, and Grantaire started throwing several punches against his face. If he kept the pace, he would end up killing him. 

"Grantaire!" Enjolras exclaimed, eyes wide. 

Grantaire looked up at Enjolras, only then realizing the man was still there. 

"Enjolras, run! Get the fuck away from here!" Grantaire ordered, and then a sharp pain invaded his torso at the same time Enjolras screamed "No!" 

Slowly lowering his head, Grantaire looked down to see the knife stabbing his torso. His eyes widened in pain and surprise, and he let out a whimper as the robber removed the blade from his flesh. 

Grantaire fell to his side and the robber crawled away from him, looking terrified himself. He sent Enjolras a wide eyed look before getting to his feet and breaking into a run, away from the scene. 

"Stay with me", Enjolras pleaded as he fell to his knees beside Grantaire, who was breathing heavily and wetly. His eyelids were half open and he was opening and closing his mouth, as if trying to say something. "Please, stay with me", Enjolras pleaded again, placing both hands above Grantaire's wound and putting pressure on it. Grantaire let out a weak cry that was cut out. 

"E-Enj-jolras", he whispered, voice trembling. His shaky hands found their way to Enjolras' own, where they were pressuring the stab wound. 

"Somebody help!" Enjolras screamed. He could see there were people on the windows, probably drawn by the gunshot sound from when Grantaire first attacked the robber. "Somebody call an ambulance!" 

"E-Enjolras", Grantaire called again, closing his eyes against the pain and swallowing dry before reopening them. "It's t-too lat-te". 

"No, It's not", Enjolras replied stubbornly, taking off his jacket and placing it against the wound. Grantaire let out a short scream at this, tears leaking from his eyes. 

"S-Stop, p-please", Grantaire whimpered. 

"Don't you dare, Grantaire", Enjolras said with a shaky voice. "Don't you dare die on me". 

"I'm s-s-sorry", Grantaire said, and he had never sounded that weak before. Enjolras felt a wetness on his knees and looked down only to see Grantaire's blood pooling beneath him. 

"I won't let you", Enjolras barked, feeling furious. "I won't let you die, you hear me? Now open your eyes and stay awake". 

Grantaire blinked his eyes open sluggishly, not realizing he had closed them in the first place. He looked at Enjolras with glassy eyes, noticing the tears pooling on Enjolras' concentrated ones. 

"D-Don't c-cry", Grantaire whispered, managing to raise a bloodied hand towards Enjolras. "D-D-Don't" 

"You can't leave me", Enjolras said, applying more pressure. "You can't leave me. You can't. _You won't_ ". 

"I'm c-cold", Grantaire groaned, and Enjolras didn’t know what to do, taking one of Grantaire's hands into his and squeezing it. 

Grantaire was openly crying now, sobs wracking through his body and making him whimper. 

"I'm d-dying. O-oh my g-god I'm d-d-dying", he cried. 

"You're not", Enjolras said, firm. "Somebody help!" He cried again, desperately. 

"E-Enj-jolras", Grantaire sobbed. "'Jolras, I n-need... tell you som-m'thing", Grantaire said, lips quivering. 

"You can tell me later", Enjolras said, stroking Grantaire's curls away from his sweaty forehead with one hand. "When you're better, ok? I promise". 

"N-n-no", Grantaire moaned, closing his eyes again. Distantly, the sound of an ambulance echoed. 

"Help is on the way, R", Enjolras whispered, placing a kiss on the man's brow. "Just a little bit more, ok? Just stay awake for a bit more". 

"I – I l-lov-ve y-you", Grantaire whispered, teary eyes looking at Enjolras pleadingly. "I n-never t-told y-you b-bec-cause... I... I'm s-sorry... I j-just... I...". 

"You love me?" Enjolras asked, tears finally escaping his eyes. If only he had known Grantaire returned his feelings before. 

"I l-love y-you", Grantaire repeated, eyes slipping close. "I l-love you", he whispered one last time before allowing his head to fall limply to the side, mouth slightly ajar. The hand Enjolras was holding went slack. 

"I love you too!", Enjolras said, desperately. "You hear me, R? Grantaire, wake up, I love you too!". He tried shaking Grantaire, to no avail. "Grantaire, I love you! Don't die, I love you too! Please!" 

The ambulance pulled over beside them and suddenly there were paramedics urging Enjolras away from Grantaire, hands pulling him away as he struggled to hold Grantaire's hand, repeating "I love you too" over and over. They put Grantaire on a stretcher and urged him into the ambulance. 

"Sir, will you come with us?" A paramedic was asking Enjolras, who was still repeating the phrase like a mantra. He looked up at the frowning woman, confused. "Sir!", she urged. "We need to go". 

Enjolras allowed her to help him to his feet and stumbled his way to the ambulance, sitting down at the same time the vehicle started moving. 

"Will he be ok?" He asked one of the paramedics, but no one answered him, too busy doing whatever they were doing to Grantaire's unconscious form. 

Enjolras stared down at his shaky, covered-in-blood hands. Just the thought that that blood was Grantaire's sent a wave of nausea across his body. He couldn’t take the image away from his head, Grantaire staring up at him, telling him to run, and the man taking advantage of his distraction to stab him. 

It had been Enjolras' fault. 

If only Enjolras had denied Grantaire's company, or not interrupted the fight. If only Enjolras hadn't opened up about his feelings with Grantaire, if he had just let the fight end with both of them angrily marching their way out of the Musain. There were a thousand things Enjolras could have done to prevent this, but he hadn't, and now Grantaire was dying, and it was his fault. 

Enjolras would never be able to live with himself if Grantaire died. 

As they got to the hospital Grantaire was rushed away from Enjolras, who was told by a nurse that he would have to fill a form and wait in a waiting room, and was pointed towards the bathroom to wash himself. 

He watched as the water cleansed the blood away from his hands, and didn’t dare to look at himself in the mirror. He realized he should notify his friends, but then, the robber had taken his phone away. He made his way to the reception desk and shakenly asked to use the phone, and the receptionist must have taken pity on him because she gave it to him right away. He dialed Combeferre's number and, for some reason, it was the sound of his friend's voice that finally made him break. 

"Enjolras, is that you? Enjolras, what's wrong?" Combeferre was asking. 

"I'm in the hospital", Enjolras sobbed, tears blurring his vision. "Grantaire was stabbed". 

"Oh my god, Enjolras", Combeferre replied in horror. "I'm on my way. Just hang in there ok? I'll be there in ten". 

Enjolras hung up, breathing hard and covering his mouth with both hands as he cried. He let himself fall on a chair in the waiting room as he waited for Combeferre to arrive, everything around him blurring and dulling at the prospect of losing Grantaire forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to make clear that I do not have any specific knowledge on medicine or medical related issues, and therefore there might be mistakes regarding the medical procedures of this story. I apologize in advance for any possible inaccuracies.

When Combeferre arrived at the hospital, Courfeyrac right in his tracks, they found a catatonic Enjolras sitting on the waiting room, knees pulled up to his chest and arms embracing them on the uncomfortable plastic chair. He was staring straight forward with red rimmed eyes, already getting puffy from crying, and Combeferre noticed in horror the poorly washed blood staining his hands up to his forearms. 

"Enjolras?" Combeferre called, approaching the man slowly as if he was a wounded animal. "Enjolras, can you hear me?" 

It took Enjolras a few moments to acknowledge Combeferre calling his name, and when he finally did he looked up at his best friend, confusion filling his eyes. Then he seemed to acknowledge his surroundings as well, looking at the white walls as if they hadn't been there before. He let his legs fall from their position on the chair and his feet clattered against the floor soundly as he struggled to get up. 

Combeferre started forward to aid his unsteady friend, who stumbled and fell against Combeferre, leaning nearly all his weight on him. 

"Shh, shh, it's ok, it will be ok", Combeferre soothed, as Courfeyrac helped him sustain Enjolras' shaking body and lead him back to one of the chairs. The leader let himself fall against the chair and his friends followed him, sitting down beside him. 

"Oh my god", Enjolras was whispering, voice shaky, breaths coming out in harsh puffs. "Grantaire, oh my god". 

"Enjolras, please breathe and try to calm down", Combeferre instructed, taking Enjolras' hand in his. "Courf, fetch him a glass of water, please?" 

Courfeyrac nodded briefly and got up, looking for a drinking fountain. 

"There was so much blood", Enjolras said, removing his hand from Combeferre's grasp and covering his face. "I don’t know, I don’t know what time I got here, I was supposed to fill a form and give it to the receptionist but I just couldn’t, I don’t know anything, I don’t know if he's alive, I don’t know, please, just..." 

"Enjolras, please breathe", Combeferre repeated his previous order. Courfeyrac reappeared, holding a glass of water on each hand and offering one to Enjolras, who took it with a trembling hand. He sipped on it but didn’t look like he was too eager to down it. "Tell me what happened?" 

Enjolras sucked in a shaky breath before replying. 

"We talked it out and made peace after you left", Enjolras said, pushing his hair back nervously. "Then he offered to take me home so that I wouldn’t have to go alone. When we were nearing the apartment building a robber approached us, asking for our things. R fought him, but then the man stabbed and fled, and there was so much blood, I kept screaming for anyone to call an ambulance and someone must have because..." 

"It's ok, Enj", Combeferre said. "Stay here, drink your water and try to calm yourself. Courf will stay with you to keep you company. I'll fill out the form, ask for news about Grantaire and call Joly, alright?" 

Enjolras nodded, already distracted again as Courfeyrac pulled him into a tight hug, and Combeferre picked up the papers beside Enjolras to fill them up. 

He walked away from the pair, already fishing his phone out of his pocket and dialing Joly's number. He started filling the form with the basic information he knew about Grantaire, waiting for Joly to pick up. 

"Hello?" Joly's sleepy voice greeted. 

"Joly", Combeferre said, seriously, pen stopping mid sentence. 

"Ferre? What is it?" Joly asked, sounding worried. 

"Please, don't freak out", Combeferre started, "but you need to come to the hospital". 

There was a tense few seconds of silence as Joly computed what Combeferre had told him. 

"What happened?" Joly finally asked, and Combeferre could hear the sound of shuffling on the background and Bossuet's confused groan. 

"Grantaire was stabbed by a robber", Combeferre explained and heard Joly's harsh intake of breath. "Enjolras brought him to the hospital about twenty minutes ago, he saw the whole thing. I don’t know what Grantaire's state is yet, but I think you should come down in-" 

"I'm already on my way", Joly interrupted, panting. "I'll be there in a few". 

"Alright", Combeferre responded, and Joly finished the call. 

Joly arrived five minutes later, looking desperate, a sleepy Bossuet following him into the hospital. 

"Form", Joly said, already on his full-professional mode. Combeferre handed him the papers prontly. "Why didn’t anyone from the hospital call me? I'm his emergency contact", he said, already filling in the blanks Combeferre had left from lack of knowledge. 

"I think Enjolras was in no state of giving too many details", Combeferre explained, nodding at Enjolras meaningly. "He's completely out of it, Joly", he continued, voice barely a whisper as he leaned towards Joly. "There's still blood on his hands, Joly". 

"Jesus Christ", Joly said, trembling himself. "Let me give this to Angelica, I'll ask for Grantaire's condition". He got up from the chair and basically jogged to the reception desk, greeting the receptionist by name. Combeferre suddenly remembered that Joly was an intern on that same hospital. 

Combeferre watched Joly closely, saw how the man handed the form to the receptionist and saw the way his shoulders dropped and he hunched towards the woman, whispering something. He shook his head, then walked back towards the Amis. Combeferre pointed towards the corner of the room, away from Enjolras' hearing, and Joly nodded, heading there. 

"How is he?" Combeferre asked, trying not to sound nervous – and failing. 

"She doesn’t have the info", Joly sighed, looking exhausted. "I'll have to go around and see if I can find anyone familiar who can tell us something useful. He is in surgery, though". 

"Oh my god..." Combeferre whispered. "I don’t even know where the wound was, I think Enjolras is too shocked to tell and he's a bit unresponsive". 

"Take him home", Joly sighed. "He'll be of no help staying here, and he'll probably end up passing out from stress or something". 

"You know him, Joly", Combeferre replied. "He will refuse to leave until he at least gets word from Grantaire". 

Joly rubbed his face with one hand, nervous. 

"Alright, Ferre, just don’t let him drop and give himself a head injury; I'll try to find out more about R's condition", he said, and just like that he was gone, rushing through familiar corridors. 

Combeferre made his way back to Enjolras, taking the man's hand into his and rubbing soothing circles on the palm. 

"Is he ok?" Enjolras asked him with a small voice, which was so uncommon for the leader that it made Combeferre's heart tighten inside his chest. 

"He will be", Combeferre said, biting his lower lip and praying that he was right. 

- 

Two hours passed before they finally got news about Grantaire. 

Enjolras was dozing off on the waiting room, body finally giving up on handling that much stress, and his head was leaning against Bossuet's shoulder, who was also asleep. Joly was sitting beside his boyfriend, biting on his nails nervously. The rest of the Amis were scattered across the waiting room, some sleeping and some anxiously waiting for news. Combeferre was the first one to see the exhausted-looking nurse that approached them. He tapped Joly lightly on the shoulder to call his attention before he walked towards the woman. 

"Are you here for a Mr Grantaire?" She asked, keeping her voice down as if not to rouse his friends. 

"Yes", Combeferre said, barely keeping the anxiety from his voice as he stared at the nurse with wide, terrified eyes. Joly was beside him, probably mimicking the look. "How is he?" 

"He is stable", the nurse said, and Combeferre let out a relieved sigh alongside Joly. "The knife struck his thoracic diaphragm, but it barely missed any major arteries. He lost a lot of blood, but with time and proper care, he will be fine. He was very, very lucky. If the knife had struck him one inch more to the left, he wouldn’t have made it". 

"Oh, thank god", Joly said, tears spilling from his eyes. "Thank you, thank you so much" 

"When can we see him?" Combeferre asked, feeling as if a thousand pounds had been lifted from his chest.  

"Unfortunately, not today", the nurse said. "He probably won't wake up until tomorrow afternoon at least, and visiting hours are far from over. You can come back from 8 to noon, and from 1 pm to 7 pm". 

Combeferre nodded, thanking the nurse and walking back to his friends. Enjolras was fast asleep, and he knew that if he woke his friend up to take him home he would refuse and stubbornly attempt to stay in the hospital. Therefore, Combeferre asked Bahorel to help him take Enjolras to his car and up his apartment building, which the man did eagerly. Enjolras barely even stirred as Bahorel laid him down on Combeferre's bed – he was the heaviest of sleepers. Combeferre damped a cloth and used it to clean away the remains of Grantaire's blood from Enjolras' skin, making sure to take his blood-covered clothes out of him as well. He wasn’t sure he'd be able to get the bloodstains away, but he placed them on the basket beside the washing machine, not wanting to think about that. 

- 

The following morning was pure hell. 

Enjolras burst into the living room, demanding to know where Grantaire was and why they weren't at the hospital. Combeferre didn’t have the chance to explain the situation, because Enjolras kept interrupting him with false accusations and desperate statements about Grantaire's well being. When Combeferre finally got to explain that Grantaire would only wake up in the afternoon and that visiting hours were limited, Enjolras wanted to take off to the hospital immediately, which Combeferre had to prevent with an eyeroll. 

Convincing Enjolras to go to the police station was even harder. He didn’t trust the police, which meant he didn’t think they would be able to capture the man who had assaulted them, but he had to give in when Combeferre used the argument that they were the _only_ ones who could have a chance to capture the robber. They ended up spending the whole morning on the police station, Enjolras explaining in detail what had happened the night before and even helping to draw a sketch of the robber. He and Combeferre left the station exhausted, and they were in the middle of having lunch when Combeferre's phone buzzed. It was a call from Joly. 

"Hey, Joly", Combeferre greeted. 

"Hey", Joly said absentmindedly. "R is waking up". 

"Already?" Combeferre frowned. 

"Yeah, apparently the jackass has a tolerance for pain meds", Joly said, annoyed. "I'm just letting everyone know, and I assume that Enjolras is eager to see him?" 

"Yes, he is", Combeferre replied, eyeing his best friend, who was halfway through biting his sandwich, staring at him with worry. "We'll be there in a few". 

"Alright. Be safe", Joly said, and hung up. 

"What is it?" Enjolras frowned, question muffled by the food inside his mouth. 

"Finish your sandwich, R is waking up", Combeferre stated. 

Of course, Enjolras never finished the sandwich. 

They arrived at the hospital ten minutes later, Enjolras fidgeting his hands nervously beside his body as Combeferre asked information about Grantaire to the receptionist. As they entered the elevator and waited for it to reach Grantaire's floor, Enjolras tapped his foot on the floor with impatience. 

Before they finally reached Grantaire's bedroom, Combeferre pulled Enjolras into a stop by his shoulders. The leader looked at him in confusion, frowning. Combeferre drew in a deep breath before finally speaking. 

"Enjolras, I know you're eager to see Grantaire, but please keep in mind that he's still recovering from a stab wound. He isn't supposed to deal with stress or anything that might get in the way of his recovery". 

"What do you mean?" Enjolras asked, indignant. "Do you think I would start a discussion with him while he is in a hospital bed?" 

Combeferre sighed, rubbing his eyes and dislodging his glasses. 

"I'm saying that if you intend to talk to him about any unresolved feelings you two may share, this might not be the appropriate time", he explained, ignoring the way Enjolras flushed. 

"I... I don't... I don’t have... We don’t have... I don’t know what you're talking about!" Enjolras protested weakly. 

"Fine, whatever you say, Enjolras", Combeferre rolled his eyes. "Just try not to stress R out, ok? He needs rest". 

Enjolras nodded, not looking Combeferre in the eye, before turning around and knocking on the door. Joly's voice told him he could enter, and so he did, feeling nervous as to what he was about to see. 

Grantaire was propped up on the bed, not sitting but not lying down either, leaning back on a bunch of pillows. He was very pale and had dark bruises under his eyes, and if it wasn’t for the white bandage covering the upper half of his torso, Enjolras would say he was looking just a bit under the weather. 

"And so the mighty Apollo arrives", Grantaire croaked out, voice hoarse. "What brings you here?" 

Enjolras approached the bed slowly and silently, no sound coming from him except for the one of his shoes connecting with the floor. 

"Ah, he does not deem us, mere mortals, worthy of his sweet words of truth", Grantaire jested, winking at Joly who was staring at Enjolras with worry. 

Enjolras came to a halt beside Grantaire's bed, staring at the man with expressive eyes. Grantaire stared back at Enjolras, and a frown appeared between his eyebrows. 

"Enjolras? Are you ok?" Grantaire asked, and Enjolras finally leaned over, pulling Grantaire into a tight embrace and nearly sobbing against the man's neck. 

"Ouch, ok, what the-? Ouch", Grantaire said, despite hugging Enjolras back as best as he could from his position on the bed. 

"I'm so sorry", Enjolras whispered against Grantaire's neck, soft puffs from his breath sending goosebumps across Grantaire's skin. "And I'm so glad you're alive". 

Grantaire drew in a deep breath, taking in the scent of Enjolras' hair and doing his best to memorize the smell. Enjolras finally let go, probably noticing Grantaire wasn’t much in the state of being properly hugged. 

"I'm... Did I hurt you?" He asked, sounding self-conscious. 

"Nah", Grantaire shrugged, ignoring the throbbing on his abdomen. He would go through this pain every single day of his life if only he could get Enjolras to hug him like this again. "It's fine". 

Joly excused himself, leaving the room to give them some privacy. Enjolras took his place on the plastic chair beside Grantaire's bed, wanting to take the man's hand into his but hesitating to do so. 

"I thought I would lose you", Enjolras finally said after long seconds of tense silence. "There was so much blood and you were so cold and pale and... please don't do anything like this ever again, R". 

"I don’t plan on it", Grantaire smirked, mustering the courage Enjolras couldn’t and taking the leader's hand into his. "I'm sorry for scaring you". 

"Just focus on getting better, ok?" Enjolras said, rubbing his thumb across the back of Grantaire's hand. "I don’t know what I'd do without your stupid comments during the meetings". 

"I thought you hated my comments", Grantaire chuckled. 

"Oh, I do hate them", Enjolras smiled. "But, on the other hand, I love you, so things are even". 

He looked up when Grantaire didn’t respond, finding the man to be very still and wide eyed, looking frozen on the spot. Enjolras frowned, heart rate increasing. 

"Grantaire?" He asked, letting go of his hand to press the emergency button. 

"You...", Grantaire started, making Enjolras' hand stop midway through reaching for the button. "You love me?" 

Enjolras let out a relieved sigh, withdrawing his hand and placing it back on the bed, above Grantaire's. 

"Yes", Enjolras said, feeling himself flush again and not looking Grantaire in the eyes. "I'm sorry I never told you before, but I was afraid you didn’t requite my feelings". 

"And... how do you know I do?" Grantaire asked, sounding horrified, and Enjolras felt himself freeze. 

"You told me", he explained, finally meeting Grantaire's gaze. When the cynic kept staring at him in confusion, mouth opening and closing, Enjolras came to a realization. "Oh! I... I don’t suppose you remember that". 

Grantaire shook his head, looking embarrassed and flushing himself. 

"We should talk about this later", Enjolras stuttered, remembering Combeferre's advice. "When you're healthier and feeling beter, ok?" He nervously got up from the chair, hands fidgeting again, and he was unsure as what to do. 

"Please stay", Grantaire said, nearly desperately, as soon as Enjolras stood up. "I mean... I would like you to stay, if you want to". 

Enjolras immediately dropped back against the chair, taking Grantaire's hand into his once more. The two of them were too embarrassed to look each other in the eye, but even flushing and hurting as he was, Grantaire decided to speak up. 

"It's ok if you want to talk about this later, but I would really like you to tell me more about your feelings about me", he said, shyly. "That is, when I'm better and all. Maybe we can go out for a cup of coffee?" 

Enjolras turned his head to stare at the man, a smile growing on his face. 

"Sure, I would love that. And maybe you can tell me more about your feelings about me, too?" 

"Yeah, that would be great", Grantaire smiled back, and then he yawned. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm keeping you from resting", Enjolras said, biting his lower lip. 

"I'm not tired", Grantaire protested, blinking sluggishly and yawning again. Enjolras rolled his eyes, still smiling. 

"Go to sleep, R", he instructed, raising a hesitant hand to caress Grantaire's curls. The man hummed, pleased, and unconsciously let his eyelids shut. "I'll be here when you wake up". 

"Prom'se?" Grantaire slurred. 

"I promise", Enjolras said, placing a delicate kiss on Grantaire's forehead as the man finally drifted off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments make me happy, constructive criticism is always appreciated and you can always find me on edema--ruh.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments make me happy, constructive criticism is appreciated and you can always find me on edema--ruh.tumblr.com


End file.
